Releases for Desktop versions / GeoBook

This page lists the current versions of my applications which are
specifically targeted at "desktop versions" (i.e. Ensemble and
NewDeal) of
GEOS
and, where possible, makes them available for immediate
downloading. I will be trying to include new programs "as they
appear".

What makes these applications "desktop" specific is usally the
way the UI has been designed. For this reason, most of these will
also work on the GeoBook with its large screen as well. Some of
them will also work on the Zoomer.

V-Convert

[current version: 0.2 "preview"] A program to import HPGL and CGM
vector graphics files into Geos. I have optimized this program
quite a lot since the last public release, and even though it is
not quite finished, I believe that it won't get any better just
sitting on my hard disk and not getting any testing... So you can
either go for the "tried and true" 0.1 version, or test your luck
with the 0.2 "preview". One of the most important new features is
the ability to create editable objects, which was probably the #1
complaint about the first release.

Breadbox Macro Demonstration App

The program allows recording of up to 128 mouse clicks and/or
keystrokes in Ensemble and NewDeal Office and plays them back as
often as you want. The current version is limited to only one
macro that can be active in memory at any time, and it cannot yet
save macros to disks - but it is already quite useful for
performing repetive tasks.

Font Lister

This little program can help you keep track of all the fonts
installed in your Geos/NewDeal system by providing an easy way for
creating samples of every printable font. This program is also
"Euro-compatible": it will show you quickly whether a font supports
the Euro currency symbol in the way defined by Burkhard Oerttel,
which is for example used by the Optifonts collection.

Updated: This version allows you to define your own
sample text in case you have any special wishes or experience
crashes with the provided sample.

FontMagick 1.0 info

[last "freeware" version: 0.3] FontMagick can help you create
special font effects, like those found in the GeoBanner program,
for inclusion in your documents. You can choose from a number of
shadow types, create three-dimensional letters or add outlines to
any Geos font.

Following is a list of the most important new features in Version
1.0:

Non-linear distortions (like "inflated" text, text on a
circular arc or on a sine wave, perspective)

Converting text passages to graphics objects which can be
viewed in documents without having to install the necessary
font. This can also be achieved by converting a font object into
a bitmap, but this will usually cause a loss of quality if the
document is printed.

FontMagick objects can be dragged back onto the FM main window
for later modifications.

More intuitive user interface.

Character table to pick symbols from the extended character
set or from symbol fonts.

Starting from version 1.0, new releases of FontMagick will be
distributed under the Breadbox label. Please see their homepage
for information on how to order FontMagick 1.0. Older versions (up
to 0.3) will remain free software.

Geo Raycast

A 3D graphics demo for Geos and the OmniGo. In this sample
program, you can walk through a maze of texture-mapped walls. This
program is based on a Macintosh version by Stefan Becker published
in the German c't magazine (issue 2/96). Full source code
included.

IconMake

[current version: 1.11] Iconmake enables you to create your own
icons for PC/Geos by converting existing picture files (PCX and
Windows ICO). These icons can be assigned to Dos files using the
GEOS.INI settings. The method is the same as for the built-in icons
and for those from other icon collections...

mg's Help Viewer / PaperClip

[Help Viewer current version: 1.1] The Help Viewer program allows
you to open PC/Geos help files by double-clicking. In addition,
you can use it to create self-running presentations from help
files. The Viewer will probably not be developed any further,
because the Book Reader provides a better way of of presenting
content files to the end user. As a migration option, there is
PaperClip which converts help files to Book Reader documents.

OS/2 Task Switching Driver for Geos

Patches for the CompuServe Client for Geos

[current version: 2] This patch modifies the CS4GEOS client
originally designed for use on Zoomer-type devices to run on the
OmniGo 100 and under Ensemble 2.0. The client itself is available
on CompuServe for $10 and permits the retrival of Mail, Stock
Quotes, Weather and News from within Geos - in particular, Forums
and file downloads are not supported.

Please note that installation of the client on the OmniGo's
internal RAM disk (if no RAM card is available or the PCMCIA slot
is used by another card) requires some sort of data compression to
be installed to make the program fit into the avilable space. I'm
personally using dLite for this purpose (see blow).

Time Guardian - keep Geos from messing up System clock

[not actually new, but I never put it up on this page before.] This
is a simple TSR which prevents access to the system clock to a DOS
window in OS/2 or Windows 95. This fixes a problem with Geos which
causes the system clock to be incorrectly set after Geos is
terminated.

Token Deleter

VNC Client for Geos

With this VNC Viewer for Geos, you can remotely access a machine
running a version of the VNC Server (e.g. Windows 95, 98, NT, Unix
with X-Windows, Macintosh, Acorn RISC OS) from NewDeal Office 3.0 or
a GeoBook connected to the Internet (typically via PPP dial-in). VNC
was developed by ORL, the Olivetti & Oracle Research Laboratory,
which has now become AT&T Laboratories Cambridge. The VNC
homepage can be found here.

(For those wo remember it, this is the program I demoed on the 1998
Basel meeting.)